ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Access to medicines is an important indicator of healthcare system quality and capacity to resolve problems. The healthcare system needs to ensure free access to medicines for elderly people, in order to provide greater effectiveness of disease control, thus reducing morbidity and mortality, and improving health and quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the frequency of free access to medication among older adults within primary care and determine the factors associated with free access. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study at two primary care units. METHODS: Free access was defined as provision of all medicines through pharmacies within the Brazilian National Health System and through the Brazilian program for free medicines in private pharmacies. We investigated the sociodemographic, clinical, functional and pharmacotherapeutic characteristics of older adults. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with free access to medicines. RESULTS: This study included 227 older adults, among whom 91 (40.1%) had free full access to prescription drugs. A direct association with age ≤ 70 years and indirect associations with polypharmacy and multimorbidity (P < 0.05) were found. CONCLUSIONS: Age ≤ 70 years increases the likelihood of having free full access to medicines, and older adults with multimorbidity and polypharmacy use have a lower likelihood of access. Identification of factors associated with free access to medicines among elderly people provides elements to guide the Brazilian National Health System in implementing access improvement actions.
Subject(s)
Humans , Aged , Quality of Life , Primary Health Care , Brazil , Cross-Sectional Studies , Polypharmacy , Health Services AccessibilityABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study presented the analysis period, the complexity of combined therapy and comparator choice as the key limitations in the economic evaluation of new drugs, and discussed programs for coping with these limitations. METHODS: This study evaluated the post-evaluation, risk-sharing agreement, extra funding program, and flexible incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) threshold as actions or programs that would increase accessibility to costly new drugs. The study also presented the cases of other countries. The application of the post-evaluation was considered to deal with high uncertainty regarding new drugs. RESULTS: The risk-sharing agreement was introduced in European countries as well as South Korea and has been responsible for the shift from using the financial schemes to outcome-based schemes. The drug funding program has had troubled in securing stable extra funds. The application of higher ICER in the economic evaluation of expensive and innovative oncology drugs was criticized because of the inequity between oncology patients and patients with other diseases. CONCLUSION: Therefore, introducing and applying actions that would increase the accessibility to costly new drugs in South Korea have been deemed necessary after careful reviews and discussions with various stakeholders (insurer, policy makers, pharmaceutical companies and patients).
ABSTRACT
Abstract Within the context of the recently released United Nations Secretary-General´s Report of the High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, the author reviews issues related to the context and discussions on access to medicines and the conflict between trade and health during the last decades. These issues have been relevant and outstanding in Global Health, especially questioning the current system of innovation, R&D and IP protection. Lessons learned from the HLP Report are highlighted and the need to further discuss and implement concrete actions, as the world has moved from the MDGs to the SDGs, demand strong actions derived from the United Nations and a strong interaction with other key stakeholders. Affordability and unaffordability of new technologies are discussed, making clear that we need to implement bold actions in order to ensure access to medicines as a human right.
Resumo No contexto do Relatório do Painel de Alto Nível em acesso a medicamentos do Secretario-Geral das Nações Unidas, relatório recém liberado, o autor revisa questões relacionadas ao contexto e discussões sobre o acesso a medicamentos e o conflito entre saúde e comércio presente nas últimas décadas. Estas questões tem sido relevantes na Saúde Global, em especial questionando o atual sistema de inovação, P&D e proteção da propriedade intelectual. As lições aprendidas do Relatório do Painel de Alto Nível são destacadas e a necessidade de discutir com maior profundidade e implementar ações concretas, com o mundo mudando dos ODMs para os ODSs, exige ações fortes por parte das Nações Unidas e uma forte interação com outros atores chaves. A capacidade de aquisição de novas tecnologias, ou incapacidade, são discutidas, deixando claro que precisamos de implementar ações corajosas para assegurar o acesso a medicamentos como um direito humano.
Subject(s)
Humans , Pharmaceutical Preparations/supply & distribution , Global Health , Health Services Accessibility , United Nations , Biomedical Technology , Health Policy , Human RightsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To lower the price of patent medicine effectively and to increase the access to medicine when public health crises occur. METHODS: Based on the real situation in China, reasons for the inapplicability of compulsory license system for medicine patents were analyzed. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Chinese government should avoid bulwark of patent and try to explore effective ways to improve the macroscopic policy environment and encourage enterprises to boost up their own strength.